Blasting through rally stages in an Evo. Guys and gals tuning up their Eclipses. Insane lap times in Gran Turismo 2.

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Yes, the late 1990s and early 2000s were the good ol' days for Mitsubishi. This ad for the 2003 Lancer Evolution, the first one sold in the U.S., recalls better times for the company.

They've fallen on hard times since then, with the current Evo set to be the last of its line (until it returns as a diesel hybrid, and I'll just go ahead and call bullshit on that.) The rest of Mitsubishi's lineup is a sad shadow of the company's former self. No one buys Eclipses anymore. The 3000GT is long gone. The current Galant is literally a relic from another decade.

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Luckily, the Mitsu faithful can still buy... um... that other car they make. You know, the SUV or whatever it is.